Millstone Bakery in La Salle receives Illinois Made award

Millstone Bakery in La Salle acquired another notch on its belt of achievements, as owners Erin and Kent Maze were presented with the Illinois Made Award on Thursday at the bakery.

The bakery offers pastries, breads, coffees, macaroni and cheese and soups. All products are handmade daily in the bakery kitchen.

Daniel Thomas, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Tourism, said the Illinois Made Program was created by the tourism office in 2016 as a way to acknowledge the small businesses, the job creators and the artisans across the state who really create the visitor experience.

“Their story is authentically Illinois,” he said. “They also have that visitor experience. When you come into Millstone, the visitor can come and enjoy locally baked goods, and the importance of discovering something like that is visitors are looking for quintessential Illinois experiences.”

The bakery’s unique atmosphere, authentic experience and handmade items were only a few of the reasons it was inducted into Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2023 Illinois Made Program on Nov. 28.

The duo said it was an honor to be recognized as an Illinois Maker, as all of their breads, pastries, soups and sandwiches are made from scratch in collaboration with Illinois farmers for organic flours and grains.

“We use locally roasted coffee and feature honey from local hives,” the Mazes said. “We are thrilled to be recognized for our dedication to the craft of baking from scratch and providing an exciting food destination for everyone to enjoy.”

Millstone has become a gathering place for the community, with customers buying flavored danishes, cookies, scones and sourdough bread. The breads take about 26 hours to make using a combination of flours, including multiple flours from Janie’s Mill, which is based in Ashkum.

Recently, the bakery has expanded its Sunday hours and started serving lunches – sandwiches, soups, specialty mac and cheese and salads.

“The fact that they’re here in La Salle is great for the Starved Rock region,” said Robert Navarro, president and CEO of Heritage Corridor Destinations. “And the fact that they are joining other Illinois Makers that we have in our region … we’re absolutely thrilled that in this class of makers, two of them were in our region.”

Illinois Made isn’t the only accolade Millstone has earned recently. One of its bakers, Anna Harmon, recently was selected as a finalist in the Greatest Baker competition, an event featuring the best bakers from across the U.S.

The bakery also was featured on “You Gotta See This” on PBS-WTVP of Peoria in February.

La Salle Economic Development Director Curt Bedei said it’s wonderful to have a specialized artisan bakery in La Salle.

“Those types of things are very special and intricate, and to be able to have something like that in our community is a great addition,” he said. “Not only is our area known for the major things like Starved Rock and the state parks, but to have these homegrown businesses be recognized is truly special.”

Millstone is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays at 821 First St. in downtown La Salle.

For information, visit www.millstonebreads.com or call 815-250-0877.